Perfectly adorable

One of the worst movies I've ever seen

This is ultimately a movie about the very bad things that can happen when we don't address our unease, when we just try to brush it off, whether that's to fit in or to preserve our self-image.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

In the late 1800's , in the thunderous Argentina , where the boundary between Indians and Europeans was marked by "Fortines" (little forts) manned by conscripted soldiers . There is a pillbox in the middle of the Pampa surrounded by Indian tribes , this fort is commanded by a stiff commander (José Nieto) who along with his captain named Martin (Robert Taylor as the lead) decide to bring women from Buenos Aires , for not deserting soldiers . To help do this , the captain brings in a party of women to keep his soldiers happy . Meanwhile , the army captain tries to tame the open plains of Argentina which are dominated by Indians and bandits . As the movie centers on the forced transportation of a group of women (Isabel Pisano , Rosana Monteros, Laya Raki , among others) , hookers and convicted of crimes and banished to the fortines to alleviate the loneliness of the soldiers . Being attacked by Indians and cutthroats whose gang is made up of army deserters led by Padrón (Ron Randell) . Remake of 1946 Argentinian film ¨Pampa Barbara¨ (1946) with Luisa Vehil directed by Lucas Demare and Fregonese himself. The script is at times a little bit stilted , moody and dramatic , but does a good job of capturing the violent environment , including brutal killings and beheading , as well as breathtaking battles and gorgeous outdoors . It narrates in Spaghetti Western style the gradual rolling back of the native Indians of Argentina from their ancestral lands by the Europeans and their descendants as well as settlers , cattlemen and army soldiers . Savage Pampas is glossy and sleek , but somehow doesn't manage to rise to a superior quality . In spite of efforts towards authenticity , the film fails on some non-sense scenes and other disconcerting events . The veteran Robert Taylor in his last film plays a rugged army captain and his nemesis , a rebel deserter , is well played by Ron Randell . Fine acting all around, especially from the support cast that included some of the best secondaries of the period , usual in co-productions (Spaghetti Western , Peplum) like José Jaspe , Julio Peña, José María Caffarel , Angel Del Pozo , Milo Quesada , George Rigaud , Sancho Gracia , José Nieto , Enrique Avila , Barta Barry . Excellent production design by the Oscarized Gil Parrondo (Gil was an unfailingly good production designer in more than 80 movies over 50 years). Colorful and evocative cinematography in Superpanorama 70 by Manuel Berenguer . Thhrilling and atmospheric musical score by Waldo De Los Rios .The motion picture was professionally directed by Hugo Fregonese , though has numerous flaws and gaps . Direction by Fregonese maintains a steady pace and is partially as good in interiors as in outdoor action scenes . Hugo Fregonese is familiar remember the Argentine director for his Hollywood work , that began with One Way Street in 1950 and included some biggies such as Blowing Wild (1953), his biggest hit . Fregonese started in Argentina, and Pampa Bárbara , first version , is the first first film he directed he is listed as co- director with Lucas Demare . He had done his apprenticeship with Demare as assistant director in two previous films. Hugo was an Argentina director who emigrated to Hollywood, then became technical adviser on latino themes at Columbia Studios in Hollywood, and subsequently under contract at Universal from 1950 to 1952 filming ¨Man in the attic¨ with Jack Palance , ¨Blowing wild¨with Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck , ¨Decameron Nights¨with Joan Fontaine , ¨Harry Black and the tiger¨with Stewart Granger . Spent the rest of the decade in Europe directing Euro-westerns as ¨Apache's last battle¨ , this ¨Savage Pampas¨ and potboilers as "The Death Ray of Dr. Mabuse" , Terror as "Dracula vs. Frankenstein" before finishing his career back in the country of his birth . Rating : 6 , acceptable and passable . Worthwhile seeing for marvelous landscapes and breathtaking outdoors from Argentina and Spain.

An Argentinian Western and Taylor's oddest film, Savage Pampas is a remake of the 1946 Argentinian film Pampa Barbera. Taylor is the guardian of a wagon train of women heading for a lonely outpost in the interior in 1870. The plot is reminiscent of his Westward the Women (1952) with the difference that this time the women are prostitutes, intended to be morale boosters to stop the men of the outpost from deserting. Shot by Hollywood veteran Fregonese who co-scripted it with a strong emphasis on realism, the film got lost in the flood of Spaghetti Westerns.Phil Hardy

I'm familiar with only 2 English language films that deal with the cultural conflicts of the late 19th century pampas regions of Argentina, which were at least as horrific as those on the US plains during the same period. I recently reviewed "Way of the Gaucho", released in '52, and filmed entirely in various regions of Argentina, including the Andes, in Technicolor. The present film was released later and filmed mainly in Spain, in terrain that somewhat resembles the drier pampas, and is about 25 min longer, nearing 2 hours. Both films I caught on Encore Westerns, although they also have DVD releases. Both films deal with the conflicts between the Argentine army and Native Americans, as well as rebellious gauchos, who resisted the ongoing transformation of the Argentine open range into private ownership livestock ranches and grain farms. In both films, army deserters, assigned to the army in lieu of a prison sentence, are an integral part of the story. However, the former film follows the history of one particular deserter and his unlikely relationship with a high class city woman. The present film suggests that army deserters were 'a dime a dozen' without female companionship, and that the Argentine army was mostly composed of former gaucho 'jail sweepings', which I doubt was true. It features a troop of good looking, mostly voluptuous, prostitutes, who are being transported to a frontier fort as 'comfort women', in lieu of jail. In addition, there is another group of plain-looking European women(apparently abducted) brought by a gaucho rebel(Padron) for trade to the Native Americans(NAs) or army deserters. Both the NAs and gaucho rebels want to steal the prostitutes. The NAs attack the patrol, but are beaten off. Later, a huge combined force of NAs and gaucho rebels attack the patrol while they are recuperating in a small village. Thus, NAs play a much bigger role in this film than in "Way of the Gaucho". In both films, they carry long lances and bola slings as their primary weapons, with only the rare bow and arrow.(Historically, they also had some rifles).The cavalry uniforms, with red caps and blue uniforms, look rather similar to those in "Way of the Gaucho", with differences in details. It's remarkable that, although this is supposed to take place in the famous cattle-rich pampas, I remember seeing only one cow in the film!. Actually, the sparsely vegetated terrain doesn't look like it could support many more. It's hardly the 'sea of grass' we imagine the pampas to be. Thus, presumably, we are in the drier interior of Argentina,to where the NAs retreated, as immigrants gradually took over their more desirable lands.Along with the issue of trying to keep the soldiers from deserting to their supposed enemy: the rebel gauchos, the plot involves a somewhat mysterious personal vendetta between Captain Martin(Robert Taylor) and the leader of the rebels (Ron Randell,as Padron). As the padre of the village briefly explains, Martin loved Padron's wife, who hated the pampas as well as Padron, deserting him, and eventually dying of some fever. We should have been given more info on this matter. Also, Padron roped Martin from his horse and dragged him around, just after Martin had killed Padron's brother. Martin was saved by a pursuing soldier, who shot Padron's horse. Later, Padron escaped from the fort, after being staked spread-eagled in the sun. There's plenty of action, dispersed through the film, including several fights between individuals, as well as the mass actions. The climactic tussle between Martin and Padron we expected seems to settle things, after the rest of the deserter-rebels agree to an offered pardon, if they agree to end the siege of the soldiers plus women in the village church. See my review title for the essential result(not telling the specifics). During the stay in the small village, the soldiers and women have an amorous party, the not choosy women having agreed to marry the soldier who picked them out. One of the soldiers does quite a fancy dance on the dining table and floor: perhaps an authentic gaucho dance? Even gruff Martin breaks down, and agrees to their marriages.Ty Hardin plays a Lincoln-looking dandy: an anarchist political prisoner, who gradually becomes sort of Martin's alter ego, until he is killed by Padron. Anarchists and socialists were included in the mass immigration from mostly Spain and Italy during the late 19th century.Mexican and American actress Rosenda Monteros plays a Mayan-looking mysterious silent NA maiden(Rucu), who Martin takes an immediate sexual interest in and buys. She rescues a staked spread-eagled Martin, courtesy of Padron, from certain death. She is also the last person seen in the film, when she slaps her horse on the rump, followed by the horse racing across the wilderness: symbolic of the, as yet, untamed portion of the pampas, and perhaps her own new freedom, perhaps even a magical ritual to insure pregnancy?I don't understand the previous complaints about English dubbing. I had no problem. Chain-smoking Taylor looked prematurely old, especially in the early part, and would die a few years later of lung cancer.

This is one of the worst Westerns I have ever seen. Sad that it was one of Robert Taylor's last movies. It has some things that you have never seen in a movie before. Often that would be a good thing -- edgy, bold innovation, cutting edge, push the envelope, etc. Here you know it was never done before because it is so awful! ***spoilers*** The biggest theme of the movie seems to be that soldiers will fight, dessert and re-enlist if they are offered prostitutes. That might be interesting if there was some nudity, raw realistic language, believable characters, etc. But no. There are no interesting characters for the audience to follow, none to commiserate with hero Taylor -- no girlfriends, no male friends even. Plus the dubbing is awful. There must be good stories involving Argentina, the Pampas, Indians, deserters, and civil war there, but you won't find it in this silly movie. Most of the movie involves Taylor's Captain character escorting jailed-women-let-free if they would "comfort" the soldiers. On the way to the fort, the women and their soldier escorts fall in love (!!), so the soldiers refuse to continue to the fort. Meanwhile they are attacked by white rebels (many of them deserted soldiers joining the rebellion because they are offered prostitutes) and Indians. The soldiers and comfort women end up in a church surrounded by the rebel-bandit-Indian forces. Taylor leaves to get help from the fort. He is captured by the bad rebel leader and staked out to die alone slowly in the sun. A friendly girl rescues him. He continues to the fort and returns with a small number of soldiers. The larger rebel-deserter-Indian force has the church surrounded and are having fun waiting/stretching out the time to attack the church. Nice guys. Taylor sneaks into the bad guys camp and kills the chief, sneaks back out, and the superstitious Indians decide to leave. There is still the matter of the larger rebel-deserter force, but Taylor tells them they will have amnesty if they retire to the fort with their prostitutes. That leaves the rebel leader alone to fight Taylor -- man to man. They fight with swords and spears, but Taylor ends things by drawing his revolver to shoot the rebel leader dead! Really. Then Taylor dies from his wounds.